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Character
靈
Simplified灵
Traditional靈
Strokes24
Radical雨
HSK5
FrequencyCommon — roughly among the 700–1000 most frequent characters in modern Chinese.
靈 (simplified 灵) means spirit or soul, and by extension 'quick, responsive, effective' — a mind that works well or a device that still functions. Learners meet it most in 靈魂/灵魂 (soul), 靈感/灵感 (inspiration), 靈活/灵活 (flexible, nimble) and 機靈/机灵 (clever, quick-witted). The traditional form is one of the more complex common characters at 24 strokes; the simplified 灵 is only 7.
Mandarinlíng · ㄌㄧㄥˊ
Cantoneseling4 · lìhng
In 機靈/机灵 the second syllable is toneless in Mandarin: jīling. Cantonese speakers often pronounce initial l- clearly, though n-/l- merging makes it indistinguishable from ning4 for some speakers.
口口口meaning three mouths under the rain; in the older graph these were drops of falling rain, later read as mouths chanting
巫meaning shaman — a ritual specialist who prays for rain
霝sound the upper part 霝 líng supplies the pronunciation
Origin
The full form is 霝 (líng, 'raindrops falling') written over 巫 ('shaman'), giving both the sound and the sense: a shaman calling down rain, hence spiritual power that actually works. The three small squares were originally drops of rain, not mouths, though later writers naturally read them as mouths chanting a prayer. Some Warring States and Han forms write 玉 (jade) instead of 巫, pointing to ritual objects rather than the ritual practitioner. The simplified 灵 (彐 over 火) is not a modern invention — it is an old popular variant found in manuscripts from the medieval period onward; its internal logic is not securely explained, and it is best learned as a shorthand shape rather than analysed.
Remembering it
Traditional: rain (雨) falling in drops (口口口) because the shaman (巫) below prayed for it — spirit power that works. Simplified: a hand (彐) over a fire (火), tending a flame — the small living spark.
In Mandarin 灵 rarely stands alone in speech; use it inside compounds. In Cantonese, however, single-syllable 靈 is very much alive: 個電話唔靈喇 (go3 din6 waa2 m4 ling4 laa3, 'the phone doesn't work any more'), and 靈 also means 'effective' of medicine or a prediction — 好靈 = 'really works / really came true'. Note 靈 has both a warm sense (spirit, inspiration) and a funeral sense (靈堂, 靈車 hearse); the funeral words are fixed and not ambiguous in context.
Context
The character's core image — a shaman dancing for rain — links it to the oldest layer of Chinese religion, and it still carries that flavour in 靈驗/灵验 (of a temple or oracle: 'it really works'). Worshippers at Chinese temples say a deity is 好靈 (hóu lìhng) when prayers there are reputed to be answered. 心靈手巧 ('quick mind, deft hands') is a common compliment, especially for craftwork.
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This page was written by an AI language model and may contain errors, particularly in etymology. Check anything you plan to rely on.
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